title: Interactive binocular treatment (I-BiT) for amblyopia: results of a pilot study of 3D shutter glasses system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A computer-based interactive binocular treatment system (I-BiT) for amblyopia has been developed, which utilises commercially available 3D 'shutter glasses'. The purpose of this pilot study was to report the effect of treatment on visual acuity (VA) in children with amblyopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty minutes of I-BiT treatment was given once weekly for 6 weeks. Treatment sessions consisted of playing a computer game and watching a DVD through the I-BiT system. VA was assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, at the end of treatment, and at 4 weeks post treatment. Standard summary statistics and an exploratory one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten patients were enrolled with strabismic, anisometropic, or mixed amblyopia. The mean age was 5.4 years. Nine patients (90%) completed the full course of I-BiT treatment with a mean improvement of 0.18 (SD=0.143). Six out of nine patients (67%) who completed the treatment showed a clinically significant improvement of 0.125 LogMAR units or more at follow-up. The exploratory one-way ANOVA showed an overall effect over time (F=7.95, P=0.01). No adverse effects were reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This small, uncontrolled study has shown VA gains with 3 hours of I-BiT treatment. Although it is recognised that this pilot study had significant limitations-it was unblinded, uncontrolled, and too small to permit formal statistical analysis-these results suggest that further investigation of I-BiT treatment is worthwhile.
authors.affiliation: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herbison
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cobb
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gregson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ash
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eastgate
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hepburn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: MacKeith
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foss
mesh_terms: D000550:Amblyopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003196:Computer Graphics; D005139:Eyeglasses; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013813:Therapy, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018910:Video Games; D014743:Videotape Recording; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology